Awesome Resturant!

So I was just thinking about some of my favorite places to eat in Chatttanooga and one comes to mind that most people don't know about, The Big Table. We know about it because the owners are friends of Dottie and Bobby. It is by far my favorite restaurant! The place is so neat, it is a small house turned restaurant at the foot of signal mountain. There is a BIG TABLE that they used as they grew up and it has name plates in it from the brothers and sisters. The owners are so cool as soon as you walk in you feel like you are at a family members' for dinner. The owners come out and talk to their guest and really make you feel at home. They do catering also and have a HUGE list of carry out items. We used them for our rehearsal dinner and it was a big hit! Every time we eat there I HAVE to get the Grilled Fajita Marinated Chicken Alfredo, OH MY GOODNESS the best EVER! They always have different soups and I haven't tried one yet that wasn't awesome. Anyways if you ever are looking for a place to eat in Chattanooga got visit The Big Table, you won't be disappointed. Here is a link to their website: http://www.bigtable.net/

SAD DAY

WOW, what an afternoon! I got a call from Jon this afternoon that one of our dear friends had lost their precious 3 month old. Dustin and Rachel Creswell are great friends of ours and I had the joy of being pregnant a couple of months with Rachel. We talked about the joys (the few there are. haha) and the rough times of being pregnant. We had several of the same problems, as most women do. The CONSTANT heartburn, the feeling like the baby is going to kick through your tummy and the wonderful sound of your baby's heartbeat for the first time. Today, sweet Dylan was with his babysitter and she laid him down to go make his bottle. When she came back he was not breathing, she tried CPR till the paramedics got there and they took over. They tried to get him back all the way to the hospital but failed.
Tears are streaming down my face as I write this. I can't imagine how these great parents feel. One day they have a perfectly healthy baby and the next he is gone. Addie was at my mom's when I heard this devastating news so I rushed over to get her, I had to hold her and kiss her. Sometimes I take her for granted, like when she wakes up in the middle of the night and I go in there, so tired, and she is sitting up like, "hey mom, are you ready to PLAY?". I sometimes find myself irritated at her for waking up, but I always smile, tell her I love her and gently rock her back to sleep. How awful of me to be upset when my baby wakes up in the middle of the night. I'm sure Rachel and Dustin would give anything for that. I hate that this happened to them. I just don't understand why God lets things like this happen to people like them and then the 14 year old or the woman with 15 kids who can't support another one have healthy babies everyday. WHY?? It really isn't fair. I know that God has a plan and everything happens for a reason but Man, I wish he could just let us know why sometimes. I guess this is one of those times where we really have to trust him and have faith that everything is going to be okay. Dylan is really in a better place.
We can't understand things like this. But we also can't question God. We can use this as a way to build our faith, it isn't easy, but we can. One of my favorite verses is Philippians 4:13, which I'm sure you all have heard before but it really relates to almost everything in life. Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians, " I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength." And we can, we have to trust God with everything we have and he will get us through the hardest of times. Please keep the Creswell's in your prayers.

(I started this on August 26th)

Well.....It's been awhile! There are a few things that have happened this past month! We went to Lake Lure, NC to surprise Graham's parents (they were on vacation there). We left on Wednesday when Graham got home from work and we didn't make it there till midnight! Wow that was a bad night, Addie woke up when we got there and was up until 2 and then back up at 7:30. It was fun though we spent Thursday and Friday with them and came back on Saturday. Addie got to take her first trip on a boat and she loved it! There isn't much to do there so it was nice and relaxing. We also got Addie a swing to hang in the tree a couple of weeks ago and she would probably swing 24 hours a day 7 days a week if we would let her! She LOVES it.

Addie spent her first night away from me a couple of weeks ago and I am proud to announce that we both did GREAT! No tears! She spent the night with my parents because Graham was given some tickets to a party at the Walden Club and we figured we would be late getting home. Mom said she didn't cry at all, she is so good she will stay with anyone! Graham and I had a great night out, it was like old times! We had a wonderful dinner with some very interesting people (we didn't know anyone there even at our table!) and then we saw a late movie!

Let's see.............oh Addie got her first tooth! Last Wednesday we went to Walmart after church and on our way home I sat in the back with Addie. She grabbed my finger and put it in her mouth, chomped down and smiled, as to say " look! I have a tooth now!" It was so cute! She has been working on that for awhile.

Addie also started crawling at the end of August. One day Tink came and sat down in the floor and Addie got VERY excited and just got up on all fours and crawled over to her! What a smart little girl.

She is so much fun these days, she crawls around behind me during the day and laughs when she catches up. She LOVES to pull all the clothes out of the laundry basket as I'm trying to fold. Her favorite toy is any magazine she can shake and it make noise (she never even tries to eat it). And forget getting her a jungle gym she just climbs on the boppy pillow! She can do that for hours and hours! She has gotten better at eating her baby foods she likes everything BUT green beans, and who can blame her? They SMELL AWFUL! We tried to give her chicken in chicken broth baby food the other day and she threw up after the first bite! I almost threw up when I opened the durn jar! She is so wonderful, but TOTALLY keeps me busy from 8:30 to 9:00 with the exception of the nap she SOMETIMES takes from 2 to 5. I love her so much and I am just cherishing these days!

FINALLY!

ADDIE FINALLY SLEPT IN HER BED IN HER ROOM LAST NIGHT! It all started when we went to see Miranda, Addie slept in the cradle my daddy built for Ali and the bedding in it is VERY soft. When we got back Wednesday night we put Addie to bed in her bassinet as usual, she flipped and flopped all night! I started thinking that maybe it was because her bassinet is pretty firm, maybe she isn't comfortable.

Okay, now Addie has taken naps in HER crib since she was 3 weeks old and she sleeps so good! About 2 1/2 hours after I put her down for her nap I heard her in there moving around so I went in to check on her...............WOW...........she was sitting up holding onto the railing! Lately she has gotten pretty good at sitting up but only when you sit her up, she can't get from a laying position to a sitting position by herself. That's when I decided she was ready to move to her room, she would be more comfortable after all! Graham put her to bed and I checked on her before I went to bed and that was it! I woke up once and was about to go in there but she moved around and I knew she was okay so I didn't. This morning she laid in her bed and played for like half an hour! It is so great to have my room back! When she was in there I was constantly having to tell Graham to be quiet so he wouldn't wake her up. Anyways, here is a picture of Addie sitting in her bed, SUCH A BIG GIRL!!

5 MONTHS OLD!

So Addie turned 5 months old last Wednesday! SO SAD!! I can't believe how fast she is growing up! She is doing so good. She got the rolling over stuff really good 4th of July weekend, and now she rolls from one side of the room to the other. She is so proud of herself! This past week she has been sitting up really well. She sits up for a couple of minutes before she falls over. And Friday she got up on all fours and I begged her not to crawl (ha ha)! I will be crazy chasing her around when she starts that, but I can see it coming soon. Hey, maybe I'll loose some weight chasing her around! Last Friday we took her downtown to the pier and the river, SHE LOVED IT! Must take after Uncle Cale, Loving the river and boats. She just watched the boats go up and down the river and laughed when they got close to us. She is such a cutie! Being a mom is the most rewarding job in the world! Graham had her at Walmart with him the other day and a lady stopped to look at her and the lady asked how old she was, Graham said almost 5 months, and the lady said, Oh so you are starting to get rewards for all that hard work! We never thought of it like that, but we are! Every time she smiles, laughs, or cries for us, those are all rewards for all out hard work taking care of her! Being a mommie is the hardest job I've ever had, but the most wonderful! I want 20 more kids! Of course we can't afford that but don't be surprised if we end up with 5 or so!

Happy 4th of July!

Today was Addie's first fourth of July! She was very excited, not really. Her uncle Sam thought that she needed to see some fireworks so he bought a few that didn't make noise and brought them over early. Sam is firework king, he always puts on a great show for us, it stinks we had to miss it this year! He devised a whole little show of pretty fireworks for Addie. Graham sat with her in his lap on the porch as Sam did the fireworks in the yard. Addie looked at them mesmerized. Every time it would go out she would look at Sam like "what else you got?" . We finally got another family picture while Nikki was here to take it. I have a big problem remembering when someone is around to get them to take a pic of all of us. Anyways, I hope everyone has a great holiday! We are going to sit on our porch and watch the ones down the road (Addie is in bed)!

My little thief!

On Thursday I was trying to keep Addie awake so she would take a good afternoon nap so we went to Walmart. After I looked around alittle she started getting fussy so we went over to the baby toy section. I got some toys keys opened them and gave them to her to play with. She was in heaven! I finished getting the things I needed, checked out and went to the car. As I was putting her in the car i realized SHE WAS STILL PLAYING WITH THE KEYS AND I DIDN'T PAY FOR THEM! I felt awful and ALMOST went back in to pay for them but they were only 96 cents and I figured Walmart owed me that. I told Addie that she shouldn't steal things and she just laughed! I guess we have a felon on our hands! Anyways here is a pic of Addie with her new favorite STOLEN toy!

Johnny's Wedding

So last night we went to Murfreesboro for a good friend of mine wedding. Johnny and I were VERY good friends growing up. We met at church when I went to Brainerd for many years. I always teased him that I was the reason he is the way he is today. That I brought him out of his shell and got him comfortable with talking to people. Even though I haven't gone to Brainerd for quite some time, and he moved away to Tech to go to school then to Nashville, we have remained pretty good friends. He made the trip from Nashville alone to come to my wedding, it meant so much to me that he was there. So he finally found the girl of his dreams, and she seems like a wonderful person, and I was honored to be at their wedding. It was beautiful, every bit of a big wedding a little girl dreams of. It was in a BEAUTIFUL Methodist church with a huge pipe organ! The wedding party was big, there were 8 bridesmaids, 8 groomsmen, 2 flower girls, and 2 ring barriers. To signal the start of the wedding a bell was rung 6 times( it was 6:00). After the bridal party were down the isle and positioned in their spots the back doors to the church were closed in preparation for the Bride. Let me tell you about the lobby, it was so pretty, the ceilings were every bit of 60 feet and in the middle of the room there was a grand staircase that lead to the second floor. Anyway, the pipe organ started, very loud and beautiful, the wedding march and the doors opened. The Bride, escorted by her father, started down the magnificent staircase. It was picture perfect. She wore a HUGE A-line dress. It had the most delicate crystals positioned in swirls around the hem of the dress, and another design on the bodice. To say the least it was the most beautiful dress I have ever seen. She wore a cathedral length veil and blusher with crystals sweeping the edges. It was topped off with a tiara fit for a queen. During their vows she reached over and wiped a tear out of his eye. I know every woman will totally appreciate that, while the men are saying what a weirdo, what man cries in public? But it is a very sweet thing when a man is so filled with joy and love that he can't help but cry alittle. You know how they always say you should do something at your wedding that everyone will remember, something sentimental, well this was it. I may not remember her dress, and how beautiful the church was or the promises they made, but I will ALWAYS remember that he was so touched that she had to wipe a tear away from his eyes. It was so nice to see him and be there to share this wonderful occasion with him. I love you Johnny and I hope and pray that you and Rachel are happy forever!


Oh yeah something funny.........during the first prayer Addie pooted very loud and long. People we laughing several rows in front of us. It was the first time of I'm sure many that I was embarrassed by my child!

Night gone bad!

Yeah so the whole Addie sleeping in her room.................I failed! I was awake till 3:30 listening to her breath, and every time she got quite and I couldn't hear her breath I had to get up and go take a peek at her. At 3:30 she cried alittle because she lost her pacey, I went in and put it back in her mouth and she went right back to sleep. So I stood there a minute waiting for her to wake up again and then I decided she was scared (even though she was asleep) and I moved her back to our room. I had to move the bassinet back in there, boy was that a nightmare! I made SO much noise that I woke Graham up! He just laughed at me and said, " You just couldn't do it could you?" It was so nice to have Addie back in my room beside the bed where I knew she was safe and not scared. Not that she really knew a difference! So maybe I will try again another night, or maybe she will just stay with us till she gets married. Of course she isn't getting married so...........

Addie's first night in her bed!

I am SO SO SO SAD! As I write this tears are filling my eyes! We have given Addie a bath, bottle and Graham put her to sleep. Now he is placing her in her room. For her whole life she has slept in our room. At first she pretty much sleep on my chest (the first 5 nights) then we got her a bed sleeper that was pretty much a bed for her that we placed in between us. Then, she started sleeping all night at 2 months and we put her in her bassinet beside me. Now she is going to sleep in her bed, if I can stand it. I'm sure I will be up all night going in there looking at her, and the first peep out of her in the morning I will be up to get her! I'm so scared that she will wake up and think that she is all alone and we left her. I know I'm crazy, she probably won't know the difference. It is still a very hard thing! So when you say your prayers tonight please say alittle one for me to not be so upset about this! It had to happen sooner or later! I'll let you know in the morning how it goes!